We often practice our kata, practicing the 20 moves in kihon kata. However, it is the application that gives the meaning. You must imagine you are fighting an opponent. The first move, gedan barai, you should imagine someone attempting to kick you and you are blocking the technique. It must be strong and effective. There are many different applications to kata, but we went over some of the basic ones, which then practiced in small groups. The next time you do a kata, try to imagine your opponent and work out what possible applications of each move could be.
A basic application of gedan barai is blocking a kick, but we can also use the opposite hand as a guard and the blocking hand can be a block to face and the arm falling can be a strike.